Exciting Design Ideas for Your Coffee Shop Menu Board
One thing many people forget about attracting customers to a new café establishment is the underrated creativity of menus. A cafe menu board doesn’t only reflect on your shop, but also on the products and staff you have. It’s one of the most critical aspects of establishing your restaurant’s brand.
They add an extra layer of professionalism and allow you to change the menu items quickly and prices anytime you like. Additionally, it’s much easier to switch up your impressive restaurant menu designs and add a bit of spontaneity to your coffee shop.
Layout Ideas for Restaurant Menu Boards
Your coffee menu board design should be in such a way your customers can easily read through it. It should also have a simple concept that blends in well with your restaurant. Above all, be sure to leave room for new menu items and daily specials to keep your customers intrigued.
The good thing is, you don’t have to rack your brains for a fancy coffee menu board. All you have to do is make sure it has information on what’s important to your average customer. For example, you could choose to display the various drinks and food items you offer.
Here, it helps shed more light on the sizes and resulting prices of each item on the menu. Also, be sure to have all your specialty items in there. This is because your coffee menu board will be the main channel through which you can communicate with your customers easily. Naturally, you want your customers to know what you’re offering. And there’s no better way to capture their attention than an impressive cafe menu board right where you want it.
Coffee Shop Menu Board Placement
Your coffee shop typically sells coffee. Most people who walk through your door will know that, and that’s probably what they want to buy. Therefore, you’ll need to have the various coffee options on your coffee menu board.
First, you can have espresso written at the top, with a list of the different espresso drinks right under that. The most common ones include the latte, americano, mocha, and cappuccino drinks. Second, you can list your drip coffee alternatives you know your customers will order. Here, milk options such as cashew, hemp, almond, and coconut will be your ideal choices.
It’s also a great idea to include extras that most people would normally want to have with their drinks. The goal here is to establish an overall experience for your customers to know what they can order at your shop. You can attach photos of the food items for an extra special touch and make it even more interesting.
Ideas for Your Coffee Shop Menu Board Material
You can have a blackboard as your coffee menu board for a start since they offer you a chance to test out creative juices. Here, you have the opportunity to draw exciting designs and use hand-drawn typography techniques to your advantage. Additionally, you can print your menu board from your computer in such a way that you can easily update new food items from your shop.
There are also coffee shop menu boards made out of different materials, including acrylic and corrugated fabric. They offer you an excellent option for outdoor signage where you can have pictures of your delicious food offerings.
Coming Up with Impressive Restaurant Menu Designs
Most coffee restaurant owners believe a coffee menu board should blend perfectly with the overall aesthetic of a cafe. In other words, a good coffee shop menu board should match up with the colors of your restaurant. The main idea is to remain consistent, ensuring the color scheme and fonts all match. The menus should also have the same design for the best results.
Additionally, you might want to add in an address if you offer takeout services. This will be very useful in helping your customers get to your shop without much trouble. Since design is the main focus of your cafe menu board, using the services of a reputable design team might be just what you need. First, they’ll send you some visual artwork for you to choose whatever appeals to you. If there are any changes you’d like made, your design team should have no problem doing it.
You want a menu board with the right font, graphics, and color scheme that depicts everything that’s important to you. Fortunately, customized boards are now available in full color to help you actualize any creative ideas you have in mind. But you should always keep in mind that restaurant menu signs have to be easily readable. This way, you won’t overdo it when it comes to fonts, color, and any other crucial design elements.
One other thing you could use is mini graphics that help educate customers on the difference between your coffee options. For instance, you could include ingredients that separate the beverages from one another. At least now, your customers will know what they’re getting when ordering their favorite latte or cappuccino coffee.
How Can You Improve Your Coffee Shop Menu Board?
Now that you have set your sights on the ideal coffee menu board, here are some tips to make it even better.
1. Use Larger Text
As a restaurant owner, you want your shop to have a place for everyone. One way to do that is to use a bigger font size on your coffee menu board. This way, the customers who have problems with their eyesight can still make up whatever is on the menu.
But you want to be careful not to have it too large, or else you won’t be able to capture all your food offerings. Similarly, text that’s too big may come off as unappealing, making it look like you’re “screaming” at the people coming in.
2. Emphasize on Essential Drinks and Food Items
The last thing you want is for your customers to grow frustrated by having too many menu items on your coffee shop menu board. If you only list the essentials, you save them a lot of time deciding what to go for.
This way, the lines will move pretty quickly since customers won’t be too hesitant when going over their options. For starters, you can omit your snacks and desserts from the menu if there’s not enough room. But if you decide to list them, have smaller price tags next to them, so they don’t draw too much attention.
3. Make Sure the Board Stays Bright
Naturally, your café menu board has to be bright enough such that your customers have an easier time reading it. It’s always a huge advantage to have some natural light shining on the menu board. But if that’s not an option, you can always add a light source to brighten up your board. Alternatively, you could go for a menu board that’s self-illuminating and make your work even easier.
4. Divide Up the Text
For an organized layout, you should aim to break up your menu into different related sections to help your customer decide quicker. For example, you might want to separate hot drinks from cold ones with an additional drink specials section. Be sure to keep it simple and informative for your guests as well.
Final Thoughts
So, what type of menu board should you choose? Well, that boils down to your personal needs and preference. Digital menu boards will cost you more but offer far more significant advantages for attracting customers. On the other hand, chalkboards bring you better flexibility allowing you to decorate them and alter details without any expenses. At the end of the day, both options will get the job done. So, it’s a good idea to do your due diligence and figure out what works best for you.